A Chang’e-8 probe, whose launch date has not yet been announced, will have the mission to investigate the moon’s environment and mineral composition, as well as to verify if 3D printing can be used on these surfaces, said scientist Wu Weiren, from the China Space Administration, quoted by the official English-language China Daily.
“If we want to be present on the Moon in the long term, we have to install stations using lunar materials,” said the expert.
Several Chinese universities, such as Tongji and Jiatong, have started to study possible applications of 3D printing technology on Earth’s natural satellite.
Chang’e-8 will be the third probe to land on Luna, in the next phase of China’s lunar exploration program. Chang’e-6 and Chang’e-7 are expected to launch first.
The Chang’e program (named after a goddess who, according to Chinese legend, lives on the moon) began with the launch of a first probe in 2007.
The Asian country has invested billions of dollars in its space program in recent decades.
China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003. In early 2019, it landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon, a world first. In 2020, he brought back samples from the Moon and finalized Beidou, his satellite navigation system, a competitor to the US GPS.
In 2021, China landed a small robot on Mars and plans to send humans to the Moon by 2030.
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